Don’t Let AI Distort Your Electricity Choices
Hey there. I don’t usually get to talk to you like this, but my name is Justine. I’ve been writing about Ohio electricity rates for just over 3 years now and deregulated energy markets for 8 years. I’m also an actual carbon-based human! I spend hours poring over news and documents to understand your Ohio electricity market. But now, there are websites using inaccurate AI generated content to hijack your attention. And unfortunately, their information is so bad that following it could cost you a lot on your monthly bills.
AI Uses Artificial Information
Click-bait AI sites give bad information but they’re easy to identify. AI tends to repeat words and phrases over and over again. For example, “potential wind potential”. Repeated topics throughout the post that are not discussed can also give away AI written blogs.
But the real problem lies in the bad information they put out that Ohio consumers need to avoid. In one confused AI article, the ‘writer’ says to contact your energy provider for any electricity emergencies. Well, that’s wrong. Because your local utility owns and maintains the local grid, you have to contact them in an emergency. Likewise, an AI written page claims shopping a fixed rate is more complicated than shopping for a variable rate plan. Malarky! It’s just as easy to get one or the other. And that’s especially true if you’re using the best tools to shop for the best electric supplier.
Vague, Incomplete, and Wrong
Worst of all, much of the AI information tends to be vague, incomplete, or wrong. For example, one AI piece stated variable rate plans were cheaper than fixed rate plans. In fact, that usually only applies to variable rate plans offering a low introductory rate. And while intro rates may beat most fixed rate plans, they only do that for the first month. And on day one of the second month, their rates climb to 3-5 times what most fixed rate plans charge.
AI also uses industry terms incorrectly. In one AI posting, it describes how “seasonal tariff changes” may effect suppliers’ variable rate prices. Sounds “informative”, right? But, In Ohio, public utility law calls the utility distribution rate a “tariff”. This tariff has no effect on suppliers’ variable rate prices.
Lastly, these AI written articles usually give no useful information about how to compare energy plans Apples-to-Apples. For example, they miss things like how to understand your energy usage or how to compare provider rewards programs. They also ignore where to find real customer reviews or which plan may cost you more when it expires. Apart from saying “seasonally”, AI can’t even state the best months to shop for plans in Ohio. We, however, know them as “shoulder months.”
AI Can’t Do What I Do
AI is a great tool for searching through giant vats of facts and figures. But not a great tool to use to help Ohio energy customers decide on the best deal. Ohio energy shoppers need to trust a real person who knows what they’re talking about. My goal is to help you save money. So, I certainly try to bring you the most accurate information I can find about how to do that.
You can read more about your electricity that’s written by an actual human. Check out all of my work for Ohio at www.ohenergyratings.com